Published November 4th, 2013
Over the years we’ve had the pleasure of hosting many garden club visits to our nursery. Garden clubs differ in many ways, but they all have two things in common: love of flowers and love of good food (particularly dessert!) It’s safe to say that most people enjoy beautiful flowers and delicious food. So why aren’t there more garden clubs and garden club members?
In this day and age the very idea of a garden club might seem a bit quaint and old-fashioned. It’s true that most garden club members I know are my age or older, but there’s actually nothing old-fashioned about networking with people who love the same things you do, learning from them and sharing your own passions. Sharing is a key word I would use to describe what happens when garden clubs get together.
My favorite garden clubs have a sprinkling of men and young people. After all, caring for plants is enjoyable for men and women of all ages, from diverse backgrounds. I personally caught my love of gardening from my grandmother, who went out of her way to include me in her day-to-day gardening tasks. People who love plants tend to be patient, caring, generous souls who want to share their pleasure. My grandmother’s church congregation depended on her for armloads of fresh flowers by the altar every Sunday. Other gardeners love to share their vegetables and herbs, or seeds, or young plants.
Some garden clubs adopt public parks in their communities, or plant welcoming gardens in public spaces, or planters along the streets of town, or trees for future generations to enjoy. This is the glue that holds communities together. We’ve seen garden clubs involved with school projects, or supporting charitable activities with plant sales and garden tours. Gardening is therapy for seniors and disabled people, so many garden clubs have projects to fill this need.
Garden clubs invite plant experts to their meetings in order to learn. We’ve had the pleasure of attending many meetings as guest speaker, and garden clubs who come to our nursery often ask us to expand on gardening topics. A wonderful aspect of this is that every club has novice gardeners looking for knowledge, and veterans who know the answers and are eager to help.
Busy working people tend to wait until their children are grown, to join clubs and civic activities. I personally think it’s better to get involved when your children are young enough to benefit from being around older people who have so much to share, in a group setting. Never assume that children won’t be interested and engaged with what adults do.
GoodSeed Nursery has always been a destination for garden clubs. In our new location we have a nice meeting space located right next door, so we can host garden clubs of any size for lunch or dinner, and wrap up the meeting with a tour and shopping in our garden center. If you are in a southwest Ohio garden club, think about a field trip to our nursery sometime soon. We promise you a good time, beautiful flowers, and even a delicious dessert!
If you’re not in a garden club, why not find one and join?